Noodlebox

Crispy Thai chicken wings, coconut prawns, butter chicken boxes, and 6 different spice levels. Although Noodlebox is very popular, I thought I would review it to see why. (I mean, their slogan is "made fresh with fire")

Location: 818 Douglas Street

Monday - Friday: 11am-9pm

Saturday - Sunday: 12pm-9pm

In the middle of February me and my friend Sophie went downtown for dinner at one of our favourite places, Noodlebox (Douglas Street location).

Atmosphere + Service:

Walking in to Noodlebox just made you feel cool. With aesthetic wooden tables and vintage signs, themed red lighting (including a massive "Noodlebox" sign), and lots of younger couples, teenagers, and families. The only negative thing was that the music was playing so loudly that I was sitting right beside Soph and I could barely hear what she was saying. Because there were so many customers, it wasn't as much of a personal experience + connecting with the staff, but the atmosphere was still high energy and positive. The staff were super nice, offering many suggestions on what box to get.

Flexibility:

Since all of the dishes are made fresh, dietary needs can be met and most of their dishes can be modified and made:

• vegetarian

• vegan

• gluten free

also, you get to choose how spicy you would like your meal to be, to ensure that it is just how you like it.

Affordability:

we decided on getting water and:

• medium spice pad thai box - $10

• mild chinese style fried rice box - $9

Wait Time, Food Presentation, + Food Quality:

It took about 15 minutes for our 2 boxes to come, and when they did arrive they looked very similar, so she pointed out which box was which.

chinese style fried rice box

The food presentation was very aesthetic, but at the same time Soph pointed out that it was just the bowl with a tower of beansprouts and cilantro on top (which is an extremely valid point), and that my box looked the exact same as hers (which it did).

But, my bowl tasted soooo good. The pad thai with the peanut sauce, egg, and lime was delicious, and it was just the right amount of spice. The dish was really good, but it also wasn't extraordinary, and it tasted like any other pad thai. The only impractical thing was the beansprouts - there were so many of them and you kind of had to dig through them to get to the noodles. But hey, if beansprouts are your thing then this is where you want to be!

Bonus!

• wheelchair access!

• reasonable hours!

• free wifi!

• free filtered water!

Noodlebox Locations in Victoria:

• Downtown (818 Douglas St)

• Uptown (3500 Uptown Blvd)

• Shelbourne (3749 Shelbourne St)

• Langford (2955 Phipps Rd - Westshore Town Centre)